Beyond Logo Design: The Brand’s Identity

If you just wrapped up a new logo design, don’t stop there! Take the next step: establish the identity of your brand by developing guidelines for visual design.

1. Colors
Your brand colors should be specified as part of your logo design. Make sure you have a record of the color recipes: Pantone colors, CMYK, or RGB (or for greatest versatility—all three!). You can ask your designer to specify these during the logo design process. Then, be sure to utilize them as much as possible wherever your brand is represented. If you want more color choices to work with, request accent colors that coordinate with the logo.

2. Fonts
If your logo is the brand’s face, your fonts are the brand’s voice. Sometimes I use a logo’s fonts for headlines in the same layout. More often, I select headline and text fonts that coordinate with the logo font, without distracting from it, letting the logo font stand out. Specify fonts for your brand’s materials and use those fonts consistently.

3. Accent Graphics
Select or develop some accent graphics, related to your brand’s or product’s purpose. They could use the same color(s) as your logo, or accent colors that complement your logo. Accent graphics have more flexibility than a logo, and can be used in numerous ways, while tying your materials together artistically.

Developing brand identity guidelines is just as valuable as carefully planning your logo—and for the same reasons. A visual plan, implemented effectively, conveys quality and consistency for its company or product.